Angel's Eyes
by Doom Master 1990
Summary: After falling ill, Bubbles passes down an ability to Buttercup that neither she nor Blossom knew about. Buttercup will be pushed to her limits as she struggles to cope with the truth.
1. The Inner Depths

Angel's Eyes

Author: Doom Master 1990

Co-Author: retroboss8653

Chapter 1: The inner Depths

The day was calm in Townsville. A soft breeze made its way past the trees in the park. There were no villains threatening the city. However, even though it was peaceful, all was not well, for one of the city's protectors had fallen ill. Bubbles was stricken with the flu, and her sisters and the professor were caring for her while she recovered.

"Do you want some soup, sweetie," the professor asked.

Bubbles coughed, and then nodded.

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Bubbles' sisters kept watch over her while the professor made her food. Blossom felt uneasy for a reason she could not explain, but Buttercup didn't _appear_ too concerned.

"You okay Bubbles," Blossom asked.

"Yeah," Bubbles responded weakly, "Thanks Blossom."

"No problem. We're your sisters. We're here to look out for you."

"You'll be up and kicking monster tail again before you know it," Buttercup said.

Bubbles smiled at this. When she and Buttercup weren't fighting, they could be just as close as Blossom and Bubbles were to each other.

"Here you go Bubbles. Try to eat as much as you can," the professor told her.

Bubbles nodded once more and began to eat.

"Bubbles, after you finish eating, you should get some rest," Blossom said.

"Okay Blossom."

It took a little over twenty minutes for Bubbles to finish her meal. Blossom took her bowl to the sink while Bubbles drifted off to sleep. Blossom came back into the room shortly after.

"Buttercup, you can drop the act. I know you're sad."

With Bubbles asleep, nothing was restraining her from cracking.

"I always pick on her, ya' know? I just want to toughen her up."

"The world needs people like Bubbles. She's kept our spirits up when we were in dire straits."

"For a while, I didn't think she did anything useful, but I know I was wrong now."

"Just let her know you'll always be there for her. That's the important thing."

"I will."

Several days passed, but Bubbles' condition did not show any signs of improvement. While she was still sleeping, the hotline rang.

"What is it mayor," Blossom asked, ready to handle the situation.

"Oh girls, it's terrible, Mojo Jojo is destroying every building in sight using a giant robot! Please do something!"

"We're on it mayor!"

Blossom hung up the phone.

"Let me guess," Buttercup said, "more monkey business?"

"Yep."

"Alright. Let's get this over with."

"…Wait…," they heard a voice behind them call.

"Bubbles," Blossom said in an inquisitive tone.

"Please don't hurt him…"

"What do you mean," Blossom asked, confused.

"Don't kill him…"

Blossom and Buttercup just stared at Bubbles, mouths agape. They were horrified by the notion they would, or even _could_ , do such a thing.

"Bubbles, are you alright," Blossom asked after the shock wore off.

"I'm fine…Just…Please don't kill him."

Buttercup and Blossom stared at each other with sad expressions. They wanted to ask why she would say that, but they had a job to do right now.

"Get some more rest, okay Bubbles? We'll be back soon," Blossom told her.

Bubbles did as she was told. Her sisters flew slowly outside the house.

"What…What do you think she meant," Buttercup asked.

"I don't know Buttercup, but I think we should keep the violence to a minimum. We just want him defenseless enough so that we can toss him in jail."

Buttercup agreed. She was shaken with terror by Bubbles' words. She liked fighting, but taking a life was a boundary she would never dare cross. They arrived at the location where Mojo was causing mayhem.

"Mojo, stop right there," Blossom demanded.

"Mwahaha! That is hilarious! You think you can boss me around? Bahahahaha!"

Mojo's fit of laughter was beginning to annoy Buttercup. She burst through the robot he was controlling and caused it to fall over.

"Would you knock it off already? Your babbling is so boring," Buttercup told Mojo.

Mojo got out of the robot with a giant laser blaster. He tried to zap Buttercup, but she dodged before the beam could reach her. He failed to notice Blossom as she flew behind him. She knocked him out with a single punch.

"He's okay, right," Blossom asked Buttercup.

"Yeah. Let's hurry and throw him in the slammer. I don't want to be out here anymore."

Blossom agreed, and they flew him to the local jail.

"I guess it's time to go home," Blossom told Buttercup.

The sisters flew off, leaving the primate to his temporary fate in the cell. While they flew, they had one more short conversation.

"Buttercup, something doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean," the green puff asked.

"Bubbles has only been sick for a few days, but we don't know why or how, and even though it's only been a few days, she's been sick for too long. The chemical X in our bodies would've healed her by now. Something's wrong."

A concerned "Hm…" was all that could escape Buttercup's lips. Blossom was right. They needed to know what was going on.


	2. New Sight

Chapter 2: New Sight

Blossom and Buttercup had arrived home. They didn't disturb Bubbles while she was sleeping, but rather, they waited until she awoke to start asking her questions.

"You guys are home," Bubbles said groggily as consciousness returned to her.

"Bubbles, we need to ask you something," Blossom told her.

"What is it?"

"Do you remember what you said to us before we left?"

"Oh…," was all Bubbles could muster.

"So you do remember."

Bubbles nodded.

"What did you mean by that?"

"Nothing…"

"Bubbles, it's okay. You can tell us anything."

"Blossom…"

"Yeah?"

"I want to talk to Buttercup alone."

"Huh?"

"There's something I want to tell her."

Blossom was stunned and confused by the request, but she decided to go along with it.

"Okay. I'll be outside the door if you need me."

Blossom left the room.

"What did you want to tell me," Buttercup asked, slightly worried.

"I have a power I never told you guys about."

"What," Buttercup said in surprise.

"There are things I can see; scary things."

"What kind of scary things."

"Blood and guts and stuff."

Buttercup was horrified.

"What do you mean you can see it," she asked her sister.

"I can see people covered in blood. Sometimes it's us, sometimes it's the villains we've fought, and other times it's monsters."

"Why do you see these things Bubbles?"

"I don't know, but I see them all the time."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't want to scare you."

"Bubbles, you were scared of the dark for a while. I can't even imagine how scared you are right now."

Bubbles sighed.

"Why did you want to tell me alone?"

"I won't be able to fight while I'm sick. I want you to see the same things I do until I can get better."

"M-me?"

"I think it will help me. Will you do it?"

Buttercup was conflicted. She didn't want to see these things, but at the same time, the guilt over refusing to help her sister would be too much to bear. She lowered her head.

"Alright...I'll do it..."

"Thank you, Buttercup."

Buttercup went over to Bubbles and held her hand. A few moments later, a light blue glow began to surround both of their arms. At first, Buttercup didn't see anything, but after closing her eyes and opening them again, the sight that greeted her retinas made her stomach churn.

"This is…Horrible!…"

Buttercup felt like she had been engulfed by a world of death and despair. She wondered how Bubbles coped with these grotesque visions.

"Buttercup, are you okay," she heard a voice ask. She looked back at the bed and saw Bubbles. She looked completely normal.

"Have you been able to tell the difference between the bloody people and the real world the whole time?"

Bubbles nodded.

"I can't believe this is happening," Buttercup said, tears starting to stream from her eyes.

Bubbles wrapped her sister in a tight embrace. This helped Buttercup calm down a little.

"This is too much Bubbles! I can't take it!"

"It's okay Buttercup. When I'm not sick anymore, I'll take the power away."

* * *

Buttercup sobbed for a while. After the tears subsided, they let Blossom back into the room.

"Is everything alright? You guys took longer than I expected."

They both nodded. They had agreed not to tell Blossom about what had just transpired.

"That's good," Blossom said, feeling relieved.

Buttercup and Bubbles didn't say anything for a few minutes. Finally, Buttercup broke the silence.

"I'll be back in a little bit."

"Where are you going," Blossom asked.

"There's something I have to do."

After analyzing the serious expression on Buttercup's face, Blossom decided it would be best not to ask any more questions.

"What did you and Buttercup talk about," Blossom asked Bubbles.

"Just superhero stuff," the blue puff replied.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

Buttercup had gone down to the training room. Now knowing what Bubbles had been seeing this whole time, she had ultimately decided that there was only one real solution, and that was to train; to push herself farther and overcome any potential threat to everyone's safety. She began by doing 100 push-ups, then 100 stomach crunches. She then decided to work on her speed and leg strength by doing box jumps. After basic muscle training, she set the simulator to level 1, and began the first mission.

"Here goes…"

The room changed. She was now in a brightly lit basement. After a few moments, a small spider appeared. Though it seemed harmless, the spider carried a poison within itself that could kill the strongest of men. However, it was no match for Buttercup. She swiftly burnt it to a crisp.

"I shouldn't underestimate the weaker opponents. With the right help, they could take me down before I even knew what hit me…"

Buttercup set the simulator to the next level. This was going to be a physical confrontation. No powers were to be used. She remembered what was coming this time.

"The robot," she said to herself.

A toy robot entered the room. She slowly walked up to it. It tried to grab her, but she dodged and knocked its head clean off. Its circuits were now completely exposed. Normally, Buttercup wouldn't have paid much attention to this, but this time, something was different. She ripped as many wires and pieces of metal out of its body as she possibly could.

"I need to be more observant of weak points. If I can break through an enemy's defenses, I can exploit their weaknesses and defeat them more quickly."

The next mission was a fight against a thug armed with a knife. This time, Buttercup used her small size to her advantage. She tripped the thug and disarmed him. The fight lasted no more than about ten seconds. Buttercup did two more missions for the day, the last one involving quick thinking and plan execution. She had stopped a large piece of construction equipment from falling on a pedestrian and crushing them. After that, she called it quits on simulation training for the day. She decided it was time for a shower.

Buttercup went into the bathroom and prepared to get in the tub, but something caught her eye. In fact, it was her eyes that caught her attention in the first place. They seemed less…Green…Than usual.

" _Maybe this power Bubbles gave me is messing with my head more than I thought."_

Buttercup took her shower and flew back to the room she shared with her sisters. This was going to be a difficult thing for her to deal with, but she had faith it would work out in the end.


	3. Benevolent Awakening

Chapter 3: Benevolent Awakening

Three days have passed since Bubbles handed down her ability of second sight to Buttercup. She had finally recuperated enough to fight. However, once she offered to remove the power she had given her sister, something unexpected happened.

"Bubbles…I need this power now," she told the blue puff.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take it away,' Bubbles asked Buttercup.

"I'm positive."

"Okay, but I can take it away if you change your mind."

Buttercup nodded. Something had drastically changed within her. No longer were her thoughts solely focused on fighting. She had begun to take her role as a guardian much more seriously. With the mental changes also came the came the physical and personal. Her eyes were no longer green, but a teal color, and unlike her sisters, she began to wear darker clothing. Her tastes in media were changing as well. She no longer listened to regular rock music or watched action-oriented television. The only thing she really did was listen to heavier music while she trained. It kept her motivated to continue until her body wouldn't allow it anymore.

As far as Buttercup's training went, she was growing quite powerful. She had decided to increase her exercise repetitions to the hundred thousands. A hundred a day wasn't going to cut it now. She had asked the professor the day before to make a training space where she could increase the gravity. The regular gravitational pull of Earth wasn't enough for her to gain the power she felt she needed. It would take hardship; scrapes, scratches, and tears.

Buttercup's sisters had become increasingly concerned about her behavior. Blossom was completely oblivious as to what could cause such a dramatic shift in her personality, but Bubbles knew what it more than likely was, and she was terrified that the power she had given Buttercup had destroyed her psyche.

Buttercup dismissed their worries as soon as they were brought to her attention. She assured them that everything was going to be alright, although, she honestly didn't know that for sure. She was trying to be the pillar of courage her sisters believed her to be. She didn't want to let them down.

One day later, something changed in Buttercup's second sight. She didn't just see the grim images of blood and gore anymore. She saw power; the potential to change the fates of those she knew.

…She never could've known the horror that was to come her way…

* * *

 _Six weeks later…_

Buttercup awoke early. She was exhausted after training at 500 times gravity for the past few days. It hadn't taken the professor long to build the gravity machine, so she'd had plenty of time to train under higher gravity conditions. She went downstairs to see if her sisters or the professor were there.

"Bubbles? Blossom," she called out, "Professor?"

There was no response. She went to the professor's lab. They weren't there either.

"Where is everyone?"

Buttercup went outside, and just as she did so, there was a blinding flash. Buttercup quickly shielded her eyes. Once she was able to open them again, to her dismay, she found the entire city was gone. The buildings, the people, nothing was left of Townsville. Everything around her had been completely eradicated; even her home.

"Wha...What the heck just happened?"

Not a single sign of life was present; not even a cricket's chirp. Frightened and confused, Buttercup took to the skies. All she saw was the cement ground. After about half an hour, she heard a voice calling out to her. It was a very familiar voice with a high pitch.

"What do you think, Buttercup? Quite spectacular, wouldn't you say?"

"Him…?"

"Yes!"

Him appeared before Buttercup, who had landed on the ground once more.

"What's going on here? Everything's gone!"

"Yes! A little performance by yours truly! I quite enjoyed laying waste to this pathetic place."

"You mean…YOU did this!?"

Him simply nodded.

"Why!?"

"Because it was fun," Him stated.

"You did this for kicks!?"

"Yes. I was tired of toying with you girls. It was fun while it lasted, but now, you know what I'm really capable of."

"Where are Blossom, Bubbles, and the professor,' Buttercup said, becoming enraged by the horrific carnage she was forced to bear witness to.

"They're in my home now. Not to brag, but I think it's quite a lovely place if I do say so myself."

"What are you doing to them!?"

"Whatever I please," Him said as a devilish grin spread across his face.

"You better give them back!"

"And what are you going to do if I don't?"

Buttercup's gaze changed to one of intense focus and extreme anger.

"Try me," she responded.

"Ooh! Ready for a fight are we? How exciting."

Buttercup flew as fast as she could and clocked him in the face. Him grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the ground.

"I see you've grown stronger, Buttercup! I must say, I am impressed. However you're still no match for me, even if your sisters were here right now."

Buttercup broke free of Him's grip. Her face was already scratched and bloodied. Just how strong was he? Buttercup charged at him again, but this time, she slid beneath him and tripped him.

"That's magnificent," he said with glee as he teleported upright in a puff of smoke, "I've never seen those kind of tactics from you before. I'm interested to see what else you have up your sleeve."

Buttercup smiled.

"You just wait. There's plenty more where that came from," she told him.

Buttercup charged at Him a third time, striking him directly in the stomach. She then returned the favor and slammed his head into the cement.

"Had enough yet, jerk?"

Him began to laugh as he got up from the ground. There wasn't a single mark on him. It was as though he was invincible.

"You're quite the fighter aren't you? I actually felt that one a little bit."

Buttercup was scared out of her wits. She was putting everything into her attacks, but they had no effect on Him. The clawed villain then struck her in the abdomen, sending her flying across the area that had once been the prestigious Townsville. She crashed against a tree that was located in the park. He had knocked her backed farther than she anticipated. The pain in her spine was immense, but she pulled herself together and flew back to the battlefield.

"I'll give you this," she said as she smiled, "those claws of yours pack a more powerful punch than we thought. I guess you weren't kidding when you said you were toying with us."

"Being the epitome of evil has its perks you know."

"If I weren't fighting you, I'd probably be eating you at red lobster."

This cracked Him up. He was laughing uncontrollably.

" _He dropped his guard. Great."_

Buttercup flew at him full speed. She kicked him directly in the stomach. It was just strong enough to bring him to his knees.

"You…Vile powerpuff!..."

"You let your guard down. You should know better when you're in the middle of a fight."

Him stood back up. The two of them flew at each other. The fate of Earth was now hanging in the balance. This was it; the final battle to determine the fate of mankind.


End file.
